Veterans’ Assuring Critical Care Expansions to Support Servicemembers (ACCESS) Act of 2025
Latest action · Jul 30, 2025 Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJan 28, 2025
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Veterans' Assuring Critical Care Expansions to Support Servicemembers (ACCESS) Act of 2025
This bill addresses the administration of the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP) and other Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care matters.
Among other provisions regarding the VCCP, the bill
- establishes in statute access standards that determine when a veteran is eligible to receive non-VA care through the VCCP,
- requires the VA to notify veterans regarding their eligibility for care within two business days after the VA is aware the veteran is seeking care, and
- extends the deadline for the submittal of claims under the VCCP by health care entities and providers.
The VA must address its mental health treatment programs by
- establishing a standardized screening process to determine whether a veteran satisfies criteria for priority or routine admission to a mental health residential rehabilitation treatment program or a program for residential care for mental health and substance abuse disorders,
- tracking the performance of medical facilities and Veterans Integrated Service Networks in meeting the requirements for mental health treatment screenings and timely admission to treatment programs under such screenings, and
- establishing an appeal process for when a veteran is denied admission to a covered treatment program or is accepted into a program but not offered bed placement in a timely manner.
Additionally, the VA must establish an online self-service module for veterans to request and manage appointments, track referrals, and appeal and track decisions related to requests for care.
Cosponsors 15
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 29, 2025 to May 12, 2026.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-IN | Jim Banks | Jan 29, 2025 | |
| R-NC | Thom Tillis | Feb 3, 2025 | |
| R-AL | Tommy Tuberville | Feb 3, 2025 | |
| R-SD | Mike Rounds | Feb 6, 2025 | |
| R-TN | Marsha Blackburn | Mar 11, 2025 | |
| R-MT | Tim Sheehy | Apr 30, 2025 | |
| R-FL | Rick Scott | May 20, 2025 | |
| R-FL | Ashley Moody | Jul 14, 2025 | |
| R-TX | Ted Cruz | Jul 15, 2025 | |
| R-NE | Pete Ricketts | Sep 9, 2025 | |
| R-WV | Shelley Moore Capito | Sep 16, 2025 | |
| R-IA | Chuck Grassley | Sep 18, 2025 | |
| R-UT | Mike Lee | Mar 9, 2026 | |
| R-AK | Dan Sullivan | Apr 14, 2026 | |
| R-OH | Jon Husted | May 12, 2026 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Referred Jan 28, 2025Hearings Mar 11, 2025Markup Jul 30, 2025 |
Actions 4
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 30, 2025Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- Mar 11, 2025Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 119-35.
- Jan 28, 2025Introduced in Senate
- Jan 28, 2025Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
- Jan 26, 2026S. 275, Veterans’ Assuring Critical Care Expansions to Support Servicemembers Act of 2025As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on July 30, 2025
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 740 | Veterans’ ACCESS Act of 2025 | Related bill | Jul 23, 2025 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to improve the provision of care and services under the Veterans Community Care Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Veterans’ Assuring Critical Care Expansions to Support Servicemembers (ACCESS) Act of 2025
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
- Administrative remedies
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Congressional oversight
- Drug, alcohol, tobacco use
- Employment and training programs
- Government information and archives
- Health care coverage and access
- Health information and medical records
- Health promotion and preventive care
- Health technology, devices, supplies
- Internet, web applications, social media
- Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care
- Mental health
- Performance measurement
- Transportation costs
- Veterans' medical care
- Veterans' organizations and recognition
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jan 28, 2025Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
